Intel recently showcased its Compute Stick, and this marks the emergence of a new niche for chipmaker. As you can imagine, it's a proper PC, but it's roughly the size of a Cromecast HDMI stick.

The Compute Stick comes with Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Linux, and it is supposed to ship very soon. We knew about the Bay Trail-T and Cherry Trail equipped Compute Stick plans but we didn’t think that Intel planned to use more powerful Core processors in these devices.

It turns out that Compute Stick comes with Celeron and Pentium brand Bay Trail-T and Cherry Trail processors, but a more powerful version powered by Broadwell-Y and soon to launch Skylake-Y silicon is on the way, too.

Intel plans to market the Compute Stick as a pocketable, smart, entry-level device that should work with many screens, which will make it an interesting proposition for many industries. The big idea is that you will be able to bring your Windows PC anywhere and use it on any HDMI device, for example on your hotel room TV.

Broadwell-Y is also known as Intel's Core M processor and it is limited to 4.5W TDP. There will also be a Skylake-Y with a 4.5W TDP, if not even lower. Intel Core M comes with Intel HD 5300 Graphics, which should offer decent performance for this sort of device. The Core M 5Y71 is currently the fastest Broadwell-Y CPU and it will be replaced by Skylake-Y generation Core M in Q4 2015.

The Core M 5Y71 has two cores and four threads, 1.2GHz basic clock with 2.9GHz max dual- and single-core Turbo, all while staying in the 4.5W thermal envelope. Intel HD Graphics 5300 works at 300MHz minimum and 900MHz maximum, and Intel claims an SPD (Scenario Design Power) average dissipation of 3.5W. With configurable TDP, the Core M 5Y71 can reach higher performance, but at 6W TDP.

The Compute Stick with with Windows 8.1 Bing Edition (32-bit) and it’s listed at about €180. This is just the first Bay Trail-M version, with 32GB of on-board storage and 2GB of RAM. The suggested retail price should sit around $149 at launch.

Who would have imagined that you would be able to put a "big core" Intel processor in your pocket, and carry around a fully functional PC at all times? Mind you, the Core M currently powers some very serious devices like the new 12-inch MacBook and a range of Windows convertibles. Unlike Bay Trail, Core M hardware can be outfitted with loads of RAM, faster USB 3.0/3.1 connectivity and more technology that will make the stick PC format attractive to some professionals. Stick PCs won't be toys for media consumption, they could augment and replace SFF PCs and even bigger machines in many niches, turning virtually any monitor into an All-in-One system with few cables and low power consumption.

It is time to get back to the past and introduce a new netbook, a category that died with the popularity of tablet. Asus EeeBook X205 is 11.6 inch Atom based netbook that comes with 1.366 x 768 display. It comes with 2GB RAM and 32 or 64 GB storage. It weighs only 980 grams or 2.16 pounds and packs a quad core Atom Bay Trail-T Z3735 clocked at 1.86 GHz at its highest speed.

The machine comes with VGA webcam, microSDXC slot and even micro HDMI out. It will be available in black, white, gold and red. It comes with full size keyboard, 38Wh battery that should last up to 12 hours. This is not all as it seems that Asus provides 15GB of Microsoft OneDrive for live, plus 100GB of OneDrive and 500GB of ASUS WebStorage for two years.

The Asus EeeBook X205 will sell for €199 in Europe and $199 in the US and should be available in late Q3 or early Q4 2014.

The EeeBook X205 doesn't have a touch screen but it comes with rather large touch pad and it ships with Windows 8.1 Bing edition. This is quite a machine for the money and will make a lot of tablets and Chromebooks run for its money.

In addition to its fancy transformers and the Nexus 7, Asus also produces a range of affordable MeMO series tablets. The new Asus MeMO Pad ME176C is just more of the same, an affordable 7-inch tablet with a 1280x800 IPS display, 1GB of RAM and 8GB or 16GB of storage. However, unlike previous MeMO Pads it is powered by an Intel SoC.

The MeMO Pad ME176C packs a 1.33GHz Atom Z3745 (Bay Trail-T) processor, which makes it rather powerful for its size and price. Speaking of the price, the ME176C is rumoured to cost just $149. That sounds like a bargain for a device that can wipe the floor with the Galaxy S4 and HTC One in practically any benchmark.

It doesn't just have a snappy processor. The tablet has a fairly decent spec and Asus obviously didn't cut too many corners. There’s a 5-megapixel camera at the back, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, 3910mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n wireless and it also has a microSDXC slot. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat.

That’s pretty impressive for a $149 device, provided that turns out to be the actual price. You can check out a few more pics over at Mobile Geeks.

The chipmaker released its quarterly earnings on Tuesday and the encouraging numbers pushed the stock to a 52-week high in late trading. However, there is a caveat. Many tech stocks took a hammering over the last four weeks, especially new outfits focused on web-based technologies and cloud services.

Established players, chipmakers and what’s left of the old four horsemen of tech (Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, Intel) appear to be attracting smart money. At the same time smart money is ditching the likes of Netflix, Facebook, LinkedIn and other high-growth companies.

Intel tablets will end up cheaper than many expected

When Intel started talking about $99 tablets last year it raised quite a few eyebrows. Technologists quickly concluded that low-end tablets based on x86 parts can’t cost $99 without a splash of cash from Intel’s coffers. They were right. Over the past few months Intel has been working to make its tablet products more appealing to OEMs, including white-box outfits in China.

The practice is controversial, but Intel doesn’t see a problem. It maintains that the investment is worth it in the long run and the costly rebates in the form of contra revenue are worth it. Not this year, but what about 2015, 2016 and beyond?

As a result, Intel tablets will end up significantly cheaper than many techies expected. The average consumer does not care about subsidies, contra revenue, BOM or market share. Intel finally has a competitive tablet part and since it has plenty of money to burn, OEMs appear to be taking the bait.

Plenty of design wins in the pipeline

The push appears to be paying off. Christian Morales, Corporate VP and GM of Intel EMEA, told CNN on Wednesday that the company is on track to ship 40 million tablet parts this year. He added that Intel already has 90 tablet design wins under its belt. As many as 70 2-in-1 designs will be ready in time for the back to school shopping season later this year, said Morales.

Luckily for Intel, Windows is no longer a joke in the tablet space. Windows 8.1 is actually a pretty good match for Bay Trail-T parts and performance is smooth even on low-end designs. There is another thing to consider - tablet fatigue.

Sure, consumers still love their iPads and affordable Android tablets, but we are already seeing some signs of fatigue. As Android and iOS tablets mature, upgrade cycles are getting longer. On the other hand, Windows tablets offer support for legacy applications including plenty of x86 productivity software. Legacy support is not as relevant as it was a few years ago, but it still helps. For Android and iOS, the novelty factor is slowly wearing off.

Of course, Intel doesn’t mind Android design wins. It plans to quadruple tablet SoC shipments this year and much of the growth will come from upcoming Android devices. Bay Trail parts are overkill for virtually any Android app out there, performance should not be an issue, but at the end of the day Intel's x86 support is the real kicker, provided Redmond doesn't drop the ball. In the long run, Intel probably won't bother competing with the likes of Rockchip and Allwinner in the low-end, as it it would be difficult of not impossible to outprice them without hefty subsidies. Therefore x86 Windows tablets and mid- to high-end Androids will be Intel's playground in the long run.

Morales also talked about wearables, which are the next big thing for Intel and other chipmakers. He said Intel is continuing to work on Edison and overall he sounded quite bullish. He admitted wearable teach was still in its infancy, but then again so were tablets just a few years ago.

Intel has already made it clear that it plans to spend heaps of money on its tablet push this year. This includes “contra revenue,” which is more or less a fancy way of saying Intel is offering subsidies for tablet makers who sign up.

Intel’s average subsidy per tablet is estimated at a whopping $51. That sounds like a lot – and it is. However, it allows Intel to take on second-tier SoC makers such as Rockchip, Allwinner and to some extent MediaTek.

White-box parts for $5

With that in mind, Intel’s pricing is very aggressive. Digitimes reports Intel is pricing its mainstream quad-core Bay Trail-T SoC at just $5, which is more or less ridiculous for an x86 quad-core. Bay Trail-T is much faster than entry level ARM SoCs used in white-box tablets today. Furthermore, it is a proper x86 part, which means it can be employed in Windows 8.1 tablets and hybrids.

At $5 the chips are roughly on par with parts offered by Rokchip and Allwinner. They are cheaper than somewhat faster parts produced by Qualcomm, MediaTek and Nvidia. As a result, Intel is expected to gain a lot of traction in China, both in branded and white-box devices.

It’s not just about subsidies

Intel’s habit of spending heaps of money to promote new products and enter new niches is nothing new. The company has been doing it for years, with mixed results.

However, cheap chips are just part of the story. Intel is in a good position to offer customers plenty of assistance. This includes design and technology, but more importantly marketing. Intel isn’t shy about using its vast market development funds to push new products and this fact may lure more vendors than cheap chips.

Unlike most competitors in this particular segment, Intel has enough money and human resources to make a difference and help manufacturers every step of the way, from design to retail. This is good news for white-box outfits, as they can gain access to Intel-developed platforms and designs for peanuts, while at the same time benefiting from Intel’s marketing.

It is also very bad news for the likes of Rockchip and Allwinner, who currently dominate the burgeoning Chinese white-box tablet market.

Intel is on track to supply 40 million tablet chips this year, according to chief executive officer Brian Krzanich. Krzanich said company expects to ship 40 million tablet processors in 2014 compared to about 10 million in the prior year.

Intel originally made the bold claim a couple of months ago, but now it says it is on track to hit its target. This is after reporting mixed fourth-quarter financial results, posting higher-than-expected revenue amid “stabilisation” in the PC market. Chipzilla has been also banging on about wearable computers which it expects to be the new big thing.

Of course, Krzanich was saying all this on Fox telly which means that he does not have to explain why he thinks that things are improving or why he believes that wearable computers will be the next big thing. People who watch Fox do so because they have outsourced their thinking to a right wing news organisation.

Many people think Intel has a long way to go before it makes any real inroads into the mobile market. This would be true if it were not for Intel's financial muscle. The company is said to be burning a lot of money in an effort to get more vendors on board, effectively subsidising the cost of Bay Trail-T SoCs. Intel calls it contra-revenue and the chipmaker has already made it clear that "most" of its tablet related projects in 2014 will have some contra-revenue attached to them.

Krzanich explained what the programme is all about in January and you can check it out here. Intel doesn't exactly like it when the tech press describes its efforts as subsidies, so let's just agree to call them "almost subsidies." Sounds better than contra-revenue.

Intel recently announced that it plans to ship 40 million tablet parts this year, so it is hardly surprising that it is planning to roll out a few more tablet parts, especially in the low-end segment.

According to a leaked OEM roadmap, picked up by CPU World, Intel will expand the Bay Trail-T line-up in both the high- and low-end.

The Z3775, Z3775E and Z3775D should end up somewhat faster than the currently available Z3770 and they will go after $200+ segment. The chips are expected to ship sometime in late Q1 and they will be used in Android and Windows products.

The Z3735D and Z3735E are designed for the $149 to $199 segment. They will be used in Windows and Android tablets, but there is no word on availability.

As for the Z3735F and Z3735G, they are aimed solely at Android tablets priced from $99 to $149. They should ship in late Q2 or early Q3.

Intel is expected to introduce next generation Cherry Trail SoCs by the end of the year.

There is an interesting rumour going around and for better or for worse The Motley Fool has decided to run with it. The rumour claims Intel landed a deal to supply Bay Trail-T parts for the next generation Nexus 7. We are sceptical, although it is plausible. There are a few problems though.

At this point it looks like Asus will get the deal to build the next Nexus 7, provided there is a next Nexus 7. Google is expected to launch an 8-inch Nexus in the first half of 2014, while the next Nexus 7 should appear sometime in the third quarter, if Google sticks to the current update cycle.

Asus has some experience with Bay Trail devices, namely the Windows loving T100 hybrid. Building another device based on the same Z3740 or Z3770 chip should not be a problem. From a performance perspective, both of these parts would wipe the floor with the Snapdragon APQ8064 used in the current Nexus 7.

However, they are relatively pricey and the only way they would make financial sense is if Intel offers Google a sweetheart deal, subsidizing every chip it ships. This is not impossible, Intel wants a slice of the Android pie and spending a bit of cash to land a high-profile design win makes perfect sense. This would also send a message to the market, proving that Intel has what it takes to battle ARM in the mobile space.

We must stress that Google’s Nexus tablet strategy is somewhat baffling. First of all the new Nexus 10 is still missing in action. Many still believe Google’s grand plan for 2014 would revolve around three products, the new Nexus 8 priced at $299, Nexus 10 at $399 and a discounted second-generation Nexus 7 at $199 (or less). If that is the case, perhaps it would make a bit more sense to use powerful Bay Trail chips in the Nexus 8 or the Nexus 10, leaving the Nexus 7 with a cheaper ARM processor. However, the Nexus 8 is ARM-based, while the Nexus 10 simply isn’t being leaked at all – and the leaks that did show up pointed to an ARM chip.

It would be a nice PR coup for Intel, but right now it just seems like FUD and games.

Despite a series of big promises and Bay Trail hype, which led many to believe that Intel’s new x86 SoC is the best thing ever for tablets and convertibles, this hardly translated to any significant sale for Intel. Bay Trail based tablets didn't get as much attention as Intel had hoped for, but they represent a nice alternative to Android/ARM based tablets.

It’s too late fox Xmas shopping but Lenovo got its Bay Trail based tablets in the channel and the first units are now available at Amazon, a bit too late to end up under Christmas trees, despite the original listing for pre-orders on November 10th. In addition to a very consumer friendly name, the Lenovo IdeaTab Miix2 has a 1280x800 8-inch screen, , Windows 8.1, 32GB of flash storage, 2GB RAM and 1.3GHz Intel Z3740 quad-core processor. Oddly enough the Amazon listing is riddled with typos and factual errors. (Hm, sounds familiar. Ed)

The resolution is not to die for, but considering that Windows 8 and 8.1 scale really poorly on high resolution screens, so in some way an affordable 1280x800 8-inch touch screen can actually be seen as a good choice. Lenovo promises up to seven hours of battery life and the tablet comes with an 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front camera. It measures 5.2 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches, weighs 0.77lbs (350 grams) and has a 17.5 Watt Hour Li-Polymer battery.

Of course it has Bluetooth 4.0 and WLAN 802.11n, as well as Micro USB, Micro SD, Micro SIM card reader and audio combo. The Micro SIM reader is a surprising part as Lenovo fails to tell you that this tablet comes with 3G or 4G support.

It sells for $299 for 32GB and $349 for 64GB and to spice it up Lenovo is throwing in a Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 Edition.

Intel is expected to sell about 30 million tablet processors next year and seize up to a tenth of the market. Industry watchers believe Intel will ship a total of 10 million tablet parts in 2013.

Although this does not sound bad considering Intel’s current standing in the mobile space, it is still somewhat lower than the original forecast of 40 million units. It appears that demand for Windows 8.1 tablets powered by Bay Trail-T parts is not as high as it could have been.

However, the first Android products based on Bay Trail-T are expected by the end of the year, or in January 2014, Digitimes reports. However, Intel does not appear to have any orders from first-tier Android vendors at this point. They are still sticking with ARM cores.